Investing in Victoria’s dynamic arts organisations

The Melbourne Fringe Festival is one of 88 arts and cultural organisations across Victoria to receive multi-year funding through the new Organisations Investment Program.

Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria joined Melbourne Fringe performers in St Kilda to announce the funding which totals more than $26 million in its first year.

Regional and Indigenous arts organisations are among those that will receive multi-year funding for the first time.

Ms Victoria said the Organisations Investment Program, a Coalition Government initiative, opened up a 30-year old Arts Victoria program to a diverse group of arts organisations.

“As a result of this new program we have been able to extend multi-year support to a greater number of Victorian arts organisations, providing some stability in an otherwise uncertain environment. Nearly 40 per cent of the funded organisations will receive multi-year support for the first time, and ten have no previous history of operational funding,” Ms Victoria said.

“This commitment of three years of funding means that organisations can now better plan for the future, build their business capacity, develop their artistic programming and leverage funds from other sources.”

Ms Victoria said the funded organisations range from iconic events and festivals, such as the Melbourne Fringe, to small community-based organisations and artist run initiatives.

“Through this new program we have addressed some gaps in previous funding including providing multi-year support to more regional organisations, now representing 20% of the organisations, and more Indigenous organisations,” Ms Victoria said.

“We have also significantly increased funding to Arts Access Victoria to provide greater opportunities for artists with disability, and to better reflect and support the vital leadership role the organisation plays in the sector.

“The result is an extraordinary portfolio of organisations that reaches right across our state, covers a wide range of art forms and creative endeavours, provides jobs and opportunities for our creative professionals, engages many hundreds of thousands of Victorians, and helps boost Victoria’s international reputation as a centre for creativity and innovation.”

The Organisations Investment Program includes three categories of funding – Developing Organisations, Established Organisations and Lead Organisations. These sit alongside the existing Major Performing Arts Organisations which receive long-term state investment, totalling $7.5 million, as part of a partnership with the Federal Government.

Organisations that will receive multi-year funding for the first time range from respected established companies such as Lucy Guerin Inc, Western Edge Youth Arts, The Black Arm Band and Red Stitch Actors Theatre, to developing organisations such as Creative Clunes, MKA: Theatre of New Writing, The Click Clack Project and Baluk Arts.

For more information and the complete list of funding recipients, visit: www.arts.vic.gov.au for details.